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00:00Hi, I'm good, how are you?
00:06Very well, thank you so much.
00:07I saw Jigra of yours and I enjoyed it thoroughly, thought it was a very raw and searing film.
00:13It reminded me of Alan Parker's Midnight Express.
00:15I don't know if you've seen it.
00:16It's about that young American student and how important is box office success to you
00:20and it is important to everybody.
00:22I mean, let's be very honest, but in your case, I feel the reviews have been very favorable.
00:28It's not easy for it to translate into economics.
00:31Has that been a point of, you know, have you been thinking about it, perhaps that?
00:35Yeah, I mean, it's disheartening, for sure, because, I mean, I know the intentions behind
00:44the project was so pure.
00:45I know the maker, I know Vasant Sir and, you know, his genius on set and I know Alia who's,
00:51I personally feel like I may be biased, whatever, but I feel like this was her best performance.
00:55I think she was really, really, she did something special in this film and so it's disheartening
01:00to see that, you know, it didn't pan out the way we wanted it to, but I see a lot of genuine
01:04love, man.
01:05I see a lot of, like, really genuine love for this film and I think it'll find its audience.
01:10I mean, I think the film will hopefully touch wood and that's the intention, right, to kind
01:16of reach out and move people, which I feel like it did and I think it'll have a life
01:21of its own.
01:23And when it comes to box office and all, I'm so new, I'm clueless, like, I'm really clueless
01:27about, you know, the collections and the whole logistics of all these things, but obviously
01:34you want, you know, you want to reach a wider audience.
01:38I think that's the intention, but we do it for the people and we want the people to watch
01:41it and love it.
01:42There's no, you know, there's no other intentions behind these things.
01:47So, yeah, I mean, it's part of the game, it's part of the journey and hopefully, you know,
01:57keep going and keep moving forward and keep getting better.
01:59Yeah, you were on call to, you know, be a bit helpless, vulnerable and raw, right?
02:05How did you go about it, Vedang?
02:07For me, it was mostly to do with the writing.
02:09It was already doing half the job for me, but I'd like to think I have some sort of
02:13a process.
02:14I'm only two films old and I'm finding my process with the films that I'm doing.
02:19But for this film, it was just a different approach from what I did in the first one.
02:23A lot of, I guess, research in terms of, I saw a lot of documentaries of inmates who
02:31were put in that situation, right?
02:33People who are awaiting their death.
02:34It's a really unique situation to be in.
02:36As an actor, I can never actually feel that emotion, right?
02:39I can't access that without actually maybe seeing or drawing from people.
02:44Also, it's the experience of being in prison, how that feels like in a foreign country.
02:49So I guess it's like kind of reading about things, watching a lot of movies.
02:53One more thing that helped me was watching characters or actors that I admire play characters
02:57that are inmates.
02:58I can really never have a real life jail experience unless I was, you know, absolutely crazy.
03:03And we did a couple of workshops before the film and we try to find the, you know, what
03:09the characters like.
03:10And I found that surprisingly, Ankur is so close to who I am as a person, which really
03:15helps.
03:16Reggie, the character that I played in my first film, was very far from who I am as
03:20a person.
03:22So it's interesting to know, you know, how your character is and how far your character
03:26is from the person you are and how do you access, you know, and bridge that gap.
03:30But you need to perhaps tell me, like, what kind of, like, what kind of legwork did you
03:34do?
03:35Like, what kind of movies did you watch?
03:36So I watched Midnight Express is one of them.
03:39Then I watched this film in which it's really, people don't know about that film.
03:43It's Sylvester Stallone in jail.
03:46I don't know.
03:47I don't, I can't remember what that film is called.
03:50But it's a film where he's in prison and he's been taken in.
03:52And that was a fun thing to watch.
03:54I watched Shawshank Redemption again.
03:56That has to be in everybody's book, I think.
03:59Any excuse to watch that film again.
04:01Gumrah was one of the films that I saw, just to kind of, because it's kind of like, you
04:06know, the jailbreak thing.
04:07You don't really see it in Hindi films very often.
04:10So I saw Gumrah as a reference.
04:12And Vedang, you also acted alongside Alia Bhatt, who's a powerhouse talent.
04:17We all know it.
04:18It's established.
04:19But you both needed to have a sibling equation, which is a very different dynamic from being
04:23lovers on screen, right?
04:25Like, you guys really have each other's back.
04:27Is there, like, did you, were you worried at some point that you would just look intimidated
04:32on the big screen rather than actually looking after them?
04:36Well, yeah, I mean, the intimidation was there before the film started.
04:39I was a bit worried of the fact that, okay, Alia is there and she's this big star and
04:44I'm only a newcomer.
04:45And what if my school is up?
04:47But I mean, I did put that pressure on myself.
04:49But I think we realized, or at least I realized it from the first day that it's, she's like
04:55the nicest person ever.
04:56And she'll make you feel more important than you are, which made it easier for me.
05:00And then it just felt like two actors trying to collaborate and do something good.
05:05Yeah, the sibling equation, it's not like we really spoke about it.
05:07See, like half of it is in the writing, right?
05:10So the writing kind of dictates the way we behave as characters and it made it easy for
05:15us.
05:16But apart from that, like, we formed a really nice friendship, which was, which kind of
05:21maybe translated on camera in a nice way.
05:23Because I feel like siblings are a lot like friends.
05:26At least the equation that I have with my real sister.
05:28I wouldn't ever like go up to her and like, praise her and, and show shower her with love.
05:34And at least that's not the equation we have.
05:35But it's like a very unsaid kind of love, but we'd be roasting each other, if anything.
05:42So it was nice to kind of, you know, form that friendship with Alia and, and she's just
05:47such a good actor.
05:48It's so easy to feed off of her while doing scenes with her.
05:52So I guess it's the accumulation of all these things.
05:55All right, Vedanka, ever since Jigraa released, everybody has been labeling you as the nation's
05:59newest crush.
06:00I don't know whether it's very reductive.
06:02I think that I hope there's more to you than just crushing on you.
06:05But how do you look at that sudden kind of like, suddenly, you're the it boy, the poster
06:11boy, etc.
06:12So how do you look at all of that?
06:13I mean, you're being objectified.
06:15I'm sure it's also flattering.
06:17Is it flattering?
06:18Oh, yeah, of course, it's flattering.
06:20It's flattering to see people compliment you in any any way, right?
06:25Yes, it's nice to see that even a few people feel like that.
06:28I'm not calling myself any nation's crush.
06:32But I think it's just cool to see people say that I realize that I'm too new and have too
06:36much to do to start believing in these things so quickly.
06:40Like, you know, I know a lot of things are certain people.
06:43It's really nice to see people appreciate it.
06:45But I don't take it too seriously also, because if I do, then I'll be like, I've already made
06:49it, which I haven't.
06:51It's still nice for people to be saying all these nice things.
06:54You know, it's always great to see movies that explore the psychological damage that
06:58parents often do, right?
07:00Or parents or childhood trauma.
07:02Did you talk to Vasant Bala about it?
07:05And perhaps just, you know, how do we make sure that, you know, they have only each other?
07:08That's the whole sentiment, right?
07:10Yeah, I think it led to, yeah, we spoke, um, I don't know, maybe I'm annoying to my director,
07:16but I asked a lot of questions.
07:18So I used to ask, like, what is Ankur like?
07:21And what did he do for, you know, the 20 years of his existence before this film?
07:25And, you know, what was his equation like with his dad when he was alive?
07:28And how did he see his mom?
07:29And where did she go?
07:30And so a lot of that happened.
07:32The essence of it all, it was that they only have each other.
07:35I think that was the thing that kind of was the most important takeaway.
07:39In his sister, that's his only family.
07:43And that's also a very unique place to be in.
07:46So there is, you know, that equation kind of changes.
07:49It's not like a regular sibling bond either, because when you only have each other, she's
07:53your mother, father, everything, right?
07:55And she's also the elder one.
07:57Yeah, it was interesting to kind of explore these things.
08:00But it happened quite naturally with the way it was written.
08:03I can tell you my most favorite scene with you in the movie was when you told your sister
08:08it's not a summer camp, I didn't make new friends.
08:11But I love that scene, I thought it was very, you know, you got that comic thing, because
08:16you're in a very grim scenario.
08:17But I thought that scene was done brilliantly.
08:19What was your most challenging one?
08:21Is it the one breaking down on the boat?
08:23Or did you have like scenes that you thought, I should nail this because at the end of the
08:27day, you are with Alia Bhatt, who's the most seasoned actress, right?
08:30So which one did you think was personally a bit challenging or difficult to?
08:35A lot of things were challenging.
08:36The first time, the interaction that Ankur and Satya had in the prison for the first
08:41time, where the fingers are touched.
08:43So that one was challenging, because it was the first time I was doing a scene as an actor
08:47where I was being so vulnerable, like crying on camera.
08:52So I think that was challenging at first, because it's a scary thought, like, you know,
08:56what if it happens in the moment?
08:58What if it doesn't happen?
08:59So I guess that one was challenging.
09:01Then the lashing scene, where I'm getting lashed by Ryan, who's another inmate, that
09:07was challenging, because I actually got hit in that scene.
09:11So it was the way it was set up.
09:13What is that?
09:14Is that even allowed?
09:15Aren't you all insured?
09:16So it was, it was obviously never...
09:17Is your body insured?
09:18I don't know about this.
09:20I'm not too sure.
09:21But it's like a, it's like a given thing that in action scenes, somebody's getting, you
09:25know, getting hurt, but you'll see some blood somewhere.
09:28It's kind of a given.
09:29And it's never intentional.
09:30And the team is always trying their best to make sure that the safety is prioritized.
09:36But you know, sometimes mishaps happen.
09:37So I was, they'd attached me to this wooden kind of, you know, like structure.
09:44And the way the shot was placed was in a way that you couldn't really see the lash and
09:49the lashing happened.
09:50So he'd taken a real kind of wooden cane.
09:54I mean, like a solid, like it would break your bones if it hit you.
09:58So he was trying to hit that on the wooden structure that was to my side, so it was missing
10:03me.
10:04And the 15, there's 15 lashes in that scene.
10:06That was the only take we did.
10:08We just did one take of all the 15 lashes together.
10:11I guess in the second or third lash, I got hit a bit.
10:15And I kind of felt it.
10:16And I was like, you know, I don't want to call like, subconsciously, I mean, it's not
10:20like I thought these things through, but I just didn't want to say stop, because there's
10:24so much adrenaline in that scene.
10:27And I mean, my mind was just not there.
10:29By the time it got done.
10:30I don't think I felt it even, then I lifted my shirt up and there was blood.
10:36I think there was two times that he might have connected in those 15 lashes.
10:39But the weird thing was, I didn't feel it.
10:40Like I didn't, there was so much adrenaline.
10:42It's like, you know, how boxers talk about, like, they don't feel the pain during the
10:47match.
10:48And then the next day, they're like, Oh my God, that was hurtful.
10:51I think it's adrenaline that kind of masks the pain.
10:56But that was interesting.
10:57In my head, I was like, yeah, this is my DiCaprio moment.
10:59Like, you know, he breaks the glass in Django Unchained.
11:03And, you know, he didn't call cut.
11:05In my head, I made that fantasy up and I was enjoying it.
11:08But to be honest, I didn't even feel it during the thing, but there was, there was blood
11:12and it was quite, it looked nasty.
11:14Do you channel yourself?
11:15Like you're a very young, you know, I almost felt like I was like a schoolteacher, schoolie,
11:19you know, when writing a review, I was like, I have to be very kind.
11:22Do you get the thing about you Vedang, where people are very, I think we want to give you
11:26a chance.
11:27Perhaps it's because you're an outsider or call it your face, whatever.
11:31I mean, take it for what it is.
11:33We just feel very like protective of you.
11:36Do you think that really helped you as well?
11:38Like you can be, you know, you, we are kind towards you.
11:43And do you think that I think is, did anyone tell you perhaps that you have such a kind
11:49face?
11:50Well, nobody's told me this.
11:51Nobody said that I induce kindness from people, I don't think that's a thought that I had.
11:58We just want to treat you with kid gloves.
12:00Let me put it that way.
12:01We just want you.
12:02I mean, I don't mind that.
12:03That's great.
12:04That's great.
12:05It's better than, you know, grilling and drilling me when it comes to interaction.
12:09So I'm happy with that kind of, you know, puppy love.
12:12It's great.
12:13But nobody's told me this before.
12:15It's a better side of the spectrum, I guess, the one I'm at.
12:19And I don't know what the reason is.
12:20I feel like you can never really tell.
12:22You can't do anything about the way you are as a person or behave a certain way that would
12:27like, put your narrative out in a certain way to the audience.
12:33I feel like who you are as a person will always show.
12:36It always comes through, even on camera, even off camera, no matter how much of a show you're
12:41trying to put up.
12:42I realized that very soon.
12:43In fact, luckily, I had the experience of talking to some veterans, you know, people
12:49who've done this for a while, who are so experienced, and they're like, there's no point in like,
12:53you know, putting up a front, because it won't last.
12:56And people are going to see through it anyway.
12:58So what's the point?
12:59That was some really cool advice.
13:01But yeah, I think it's just me being me.
13:03I don't know what I'm doing.
13:04And I don't know what people how people are perceiving me.
13:07But I guess my, my agenda is just to keep working and do a good job.
13:12I think that's my only goal.
13:13Like, if I do a good job, and everything else will follow.
13:15If you're in a movie, I'm very intrigued.
13:17I'm like, okay, let's see this.
13:18So that that's a great start for any actor.
13:21Thank you for entertaining us.
13:22Jigra was very enjoyable.
13:24I really enjoyed.
13:25Thank you so much.